Oct 28

Hello. Mark is feeling better just in time to get back for another chemo infusion. He has had two pretty decent days. He is trying like crazy to make up the calories and get in what he can. His weight on our home scale was down to 160 a couple of days ago after all of the sickness and inability to eat, he really lost a lot. Hopefully he has been able to put some of that back on. He is eating everything he can possibly get in. Calen was impressed with the amount he ate at dinner tonight. We hope it is enough to keep the chemo schedule on track.

Tomorrow morning Mark is scheduled for his last chemo in this cycle. He will get a two week break after this and we are all looking forward to that. We may move the chemo back to Mondays as that was his preferred day before so his feel good days would be on the weekends when he could do more with the family. It just makes sense. He wasn't happy about the kids doing trick or treat tomorrow night and he probably will miss it all.

Mark had a good visit today at lunch with Lee and Keven. He also enjoyed dinner last night with Andy. He has enjoyed having a little company when he is feeling better. It is nice to see him engaging in work conversations and talking spots, etc again.

Our sad news today is our guinea pig, Leppy, died this morning. I was driving her to the vet as she was having a hard time standing up and was very weak and she died in my lap on the way there. It was so sad. I pulled off the road and just cried. We had to tell the kids this evening. The guinea pig was more of Colton's pet as she stayed in his room and he was there the night she was born. He is very attached. He took it hard. We had to bury her and find a stone for her grave marker. Colton wanted to get out all of his pictures of him and Leppy and put them on his bulletin board. He cried for an hour before going to bed. It just breaks my heart.

Emily has a field trip to the pumpkin patch tomorrow and is very excited. She says she is going to pick out the biggest pumpkin they have. We will see. Calen is staying busy with sports and school. He has been working really hard this week. The kids made a Halloween cake tonight with their grandparents. It was chocolate cake with orange icing. They put edible ghosts, pumpkins, worms, and spiders on the cake as well as some nonedible "scary" spiders. This was Emily's doing. She thought up everything she wanted on a Halloween cake and her granny and granddad went out and bought the stuff. They had fun doing it and it took some of the stress of Leppy dying away. It was a good night to make cake.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support. We pray for strength each day to get through this and to find God's message in all that we face. We've become better listeners for sure. Please continue to pray for Mark. Please remember Carly Parker as well as all those battling cancer. God bless!!!!!